“You’re out of breath,” he said, a trill of laughter present in his voice.

“No kidding,” she responded, shivering from her rain-soaked clothes.

Laying in the wet grass wasn’t helping her get any warmer, but catching her breath was her main priority at the time. For what seemed like hours, the only things Helga could hear were the sound of her heartbeat ringing in her head and her labored breath.

She turned her head to look at the blond-haired boy sitting beside her, a smile on his face as he looked off into the mist that surrounded them. The park they had run the entirety of was covered in a fog so thick it sheltered them from the rest of the city. On a day like this, nobody else would have even thought to have raced through the park, with the mist being so thick that if you couldn't run the paths blind, you'd crash into a tree.

But they miraculously didn't crash, and that was all that mattered at the moment in Helga’s mind.

“Should we go back?” Helga asked.

“Not yet,” Arnold replied, “we’ve only been out twenty minutes.”

“Only twenty minutes?” Helga retorted, “My chest feels like an anaconda’s wrapped around it and squeezing… hard…”

“I wouldn’t have invited you to come with me if I had known you were so… delicate,” Arnold replied, his laughter replaced by a tone of annoyance.

“I’m not delicate, I’m just not used to running like you are,” she sighed, a bit hurt at his words.

“There’s still a mile to go, are you coming or not?” Arnold asked.

“If you give me ten more minutes, I’ll be right there with you,” Helga challenged.

She watched as he stood up and stretched, ready to continue on his route.

“I’ve waited five minutes for you to catch your breath,” he stated, “I can’t wait ten more, I have to get home and clean up before Lila comes over.”

That is what got Helga to her feet. That name which stung every time she heard it. Little Miss Perfect’s name was not what she wanted to hear, especially not from him.

“Okay, I’m ready,” Helga said, her tone full of annoyance.

Immediately, Arnold began to race forward, Helga struggling a few feet behind him. There was no way she could keep up with him now, but she knew better than to get lost in the mist and absentmindedly run into a lamppost or something.

--

“Helga, what are you doing here?” Arnold asked, staring at the girl on his stoop that morning.

“I heard you yesterday talking about how you go for some morning exercise, and you know, I run in the mornings too, so I was running by your stoop, and I thought, hey, why not take a quick breather and wait for Football Head to come out, and then continue on my merry way, keeping him company?” Helga lied.

She hadn’t ever gone out for morning exercise, but any excuse to be alone with Arnold was good enough for her, even if it meant lying.

“Well, okay, but I’ll warn you now, I run the entire loop in the park and back every morning,but you’re welcome to come if you’re sure you can handle it.”

“Piece of cake.”

--

Cake may have been the most ironic thing to bring up, seeing as she was eating her words right now.

Finally, after what felt like hours of agony, Helga could see the entrance to the park in the distance. The mist was finally starting to clear up a bit, so she had let herself fall back about twenty feet or so within the last few minutes.

Arnold kept on running forward until he reached the entrance, where he turned his head to check for Helga. When he saw she was only a few feet behind, he took off again, heading back toward the boarding house.

After what seemed like another hour or so, Arnold ran up the steps of the stoop and stopped at the door. A minute or so passed before Helga made it to the stoop and collapsed, her face red, her body completely out of breath.

“You’re not a runner, are you?” Arnold asked, knowing the answer already.

“I am a runner… just not… a long… distance…” Helga’s half-lie was interrupted by her face hitting the cement out of pure exhaustion.

“Are you going to be okay?” Arnold questioned.

“…Yes…”

“Okay. Well, thanks for coming with me today, I have to get ready for Lila now, so…”

“I…. Under…. Stand…”

Without thinking, Arnold opened the door, and out ran a variety of animals, each one trampling Helga in one place or another. In a hurry and his mind clouded with Lila, he ran inside as fast as the herd had run out.

“Nnnnngh,” she moaned, but Arnold was already inside the house.

--

Aw, poor Helga. If you were wondering, Helga, Arnold, and Lila are all about 13 in this story. I decided nine would probably be too young for this story, even though they’re treated as older in the actual show.

This is not a one-shot! I’m actually planning to make this story about six or so chapters, so if you’re interested, add it to your alert list.

Thanks for reading!

- Koikitten